Experience Columbus has launched an unusual new marketing campaign in an unorthodox fashion: by touting what the city doesn’t have to offer.
“We don’t have pyramids in Columbus,” boasted the new slogan, with a picture of a pyramid with an X through it. “But everything you’d want for a meeting is right here in Columbus.” The campaigns features variations on that same theme—a picture of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China and Mount Everest, all with an X through them.
The idea, said Brian Ross, vice president of sales, at Experience Columbus, is to grab people’s attention through humor.
According to a statement on the Columbus CVB’s Website, “We've turned the table upside down and developed an approach that will promote our gems. After all, that's what it's all about. But first, we'll catch their attention in a nontraditional way.”
To promote this nontraditional campaign, the CVB is using nontraditional means. First, CVB staff invited area bloggers in to hear about the campaign and write their opinions about it, as well as about the city as a destination. The bureau also created a page at Twitter.com to allow people to write reviews and post thoughts about the city. Additionally, the bureau is in the process of creating a YouTube video about its ad campaign, showing the running of the bulls with the tag line, “You can’t run with the bulls in Columbus.”
